Videogames more dangerous than smoking?

**BelmontSlayer** · December 3rd, 2007, 08:58

According to Cancer Research UK, cigarette smoking is responsible for 30 per cent of cancer deaths per year in the developed world. In Britain in 2005, that would have equated to 46,000 deaths. What's the next most dangerous societal ill? Researchers from the University of Michigan say violent videogames and films.

According to Reuters, a new University of Michigan concludes that exposure to violence as depicted in TV, film and videogames "raises the risk of aggressive behaviour in adults and young viewers and poses a serious threat to public health."

This is the latest research in a string of work that looks into the impact of violent video games on the impressionable young minds of gamers. Last year, the University of Missouri-Columbia published research saying there is a causal link between computer games and violence, not merely a simple association.

In the most recent bit of research, L. Rowell Huesmann and his colleague Brad Bushman point out that this exposure -- what they call "virtual violence" from either in shoot-em-up video games or slasher films -- leads to aggressive tendencies, particularly on children and teens. The researchers looked at more than 50 years of violent films, TV shows and video games.

For society's benefit, we can only hope Huesmann and Bushman will be taken off the streets and locked up now that they've concluded their studies.

Fellow users of DCEmu, what do you think? Do videogames cause people to commit crimes? Or is this all just a bunch of hogswash?

via Times Online

**Airdevil** · December 3rd, 2007, 09:46

I would LOVE to see the documntation for this "research", which i doubt will ever be publically available.

I wonder how much Jack T paid them.

**fook123** · December 3rd, 2007, 11:10

Violence and crime has gone down since video games.
http://economist.com/images/20050806/CSF334.gif

**Gene** · December 3rd, 2007, 11:36

Now that you mention it, I was actually just outside shootin' my mag, running from cops, and slapping around some hos, just after playing call of duty 4 on Nintendo ds, you know. I got one of those violent urges, where you just gotta kill something.

Yeah. This makes sense.

**JKKDARK** · December 3rd, 2007, 12:25

lol this article is a joke, it's not true

**jools** · December 3rd, 2007, 14:19

lmao it just gets stupider every time

**masamune** · December 3rd, 2007, 16:06

hmm... I think I'm immune to this whatever, I don't feel any more violent than before playing video games... maybe I'll use my blood to make a vaccine so you guys can rest easy. My childhood friend Howie died playing a video games, dammit I will find a cure.

**Sonicboy 101** · December 3rd, 2007, 16:13

What a load of crap.
The only reason that people commit crimes and such is because they're not right in the head! They obviously haven't got a grip on reality.

**Shadowblind** · December 3rd, 2007, 16:51

Originally Posted by Gene

Now that you mention it, I was actually just outside shootin' my mag, running from cops, and slapping around some hos, just after playing call of duty 4 on Nintendo ds, you know. I got one of those violent urges, where you just gotta kill something.

Yeah. This makes sense.

Its so obviously true! I mean, I was just playing God of War II yesterday, and now I just want to go kill Zeus and Ares, right? I think I'll go get the guy from Manhunt 2 to make me some blades on chains and swing them and go massacre people since they look so obviously like cyclops.